Patents Assigned to For Global Technologies, LLC
  • Detecting foliage using range data
    Patent number: 10521680
    Abstract: A system for detecting and identifying foliage includes a tracking component, a tracking parameters component, and a classification component. The tracking component is configured to detect and track one or more features within range data from one or more sensors. The tracking parameters component is configured to determine tracking parameters for each of the one or more features. The tracking parameters include a tracking age and one or more of a detection consistency and a position variability. The classification component is configured to classify a feature of the one or more features as corresponding to foliage based on the tracking parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Marcos Paul Gerardo Castro, Sneha Kadetotad, Dongran Liu, Jinesh J Jain
  • Powertrain with anti-shuffle control
    Patent number: 10518781
    Abstract: Powertrains may include a spring damper between the engine crankshaft and transmission input shaft. In some circumstances, an oscillation known as shuffle may occur in such powertrains. Active adjustment of engine torque is substantially more effective at mitigating shuffle oscillations if the engine torque includes a p-term proportional to displacement of the damper spring in addition to a d-term proportional to the speed difference across the damper. For various reasons, the spring displacement is difficult to measure directly. An observer algorithm is utilized to calculate a current estimated spring displacement based on a crankshaft speed sensor, a transmission input speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and past engine torques, using a dynamic model of the powertrain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Weitian Chen, Zhengyu Dai, Stuart Ford, Todd McCullough, Hong Jiang
  • Retractable truck bed extender with removable support
    Patent number: 10518820
    Abstract: An apparatus for extending a vehicle bed includes a tailgate having first and second retractable members adapted for being recessed within the tailgate and for projecting therefrom in an extended position when the tailgate is lowered. A removable support is provided for connecting with the first and second retractable members in the extended position for extending the vehicle bed. The removable support may comprise a ladder supported by the tailgate. The ladder may assume a lowered position for use in stepping onto the tailgate using the retractable members as handles and a raised position substantially aligned with the retractable members for extending the vehicle bed. The removable support may also comprise a cross bar that connects with the retractable members to form the bed extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Brian Robert Spahn, Pattrick Loew
  • Pipe clamping device and a pipe assembly
    Patent number: 10520114
    Abstract: A pipe clamping device comprises a first part including a first base and a first clamping portion connected to the first base; a second part including a second base and a second clamping portion connected to the second base; and a connector including a rod. The first base includes a first guiding slot extending in a first direction and the second base includes a second guiding slot extending in the first direction. The rod of the connector passes through the first guiding slot and the second guiding slot at a second direction different from the first direction. The first clamping portion is movable relative to the second clamping portion in the first and second directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Seven Qi, Kelly Chen, Fiona Zhang, Sunny Li
  • Semi-compliant coating for thermal expansion absorption
    Patent number: 10519896
    Abstract: An engine cylinder head includes an internal metal structure forming an upper portion of a combustion chamber. The internal metal structure includes a semi-compliant coating configured to absorb thermal expansion of the internal metal structure. The engine cylinder head also includes a polymer composite forming an external structure at least partially surrounding the internal metal structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher Donald Wicks
  • Low-pressure EGR valve having a condensate line
    Patent number: 10519901
    Abstract: An Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Valve is disclosed including a housing having a first side configured to be coupled with a fresh air inlet, a second side configured to be coupled with an outlet, and an exhaust-gas inlet defined at a bottom of the housing. The housing may include one or more inner surfaces defining at least one path to direct a condensate, when present at any point on a bottom surface of an inside of the housing, to a low point within the housing directed by gravity. The outlet may be configured to be fluidically coupled with a turbo compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andreas Kuske, Franz Arnd Sommerhoff, Joerg Kemmerling, Hanno Friederichs, Vanco Smiljanovski, Helmut Matthias Kindl, Daniel Roettger, Christian Winge Vigild
  • Laminating adhesive—polyester-polycarbonate-polyol systems
    Patent number: 10519269
    Abstract: The instant invention provides a curable formulation suitable for laminating adhesive applications, and laminating adhesives made therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignees: Dow Global Technologies LLC, Rohm and Haas Company
    Inventors: Joseph J. Zupancic, Jorge Jimenez, Amira A. Marine, David E. Vietti, Qiuyun Xu
  • Method of manipulating a bearing cap
    Patent number: 10520038
    Abstract: A method of manipulating a bearing cap for a machine, the method comprising: attaching an intermediate member to the bearing cap, the intermediate member having one or more handling formations; and using the handling formations of the intermediate member to manipulate the bearing cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Xavier Demeulenaere, Graham Slaughter, Mark Michel
  • Motor having non-rectangular rotor magnets
    Patent number: 10518624
    Abstract: A hybrid powertrain utilizes a motor with a permanent magnet rotor. The rotor is formed by inserting parallelepiped magnets into slots. To reduce the likelihood of demagnetization, the net magnetization of each magnet is oriented parallel to a sidewards surface of the magnet and not perpendicular to an outwards surface of the magnet. The magnets may be arranged in multiple rows. The magnets in each row may be perpendicular to a rotor radial or diagonal to a rotor diagonal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Feng Liang, C Bing Rong, Michael W. Degner, Lusu Guo
  • Systems and methods for controlling an engine start in a hybrid vehicle
    Patent number: 10518767
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a driveline of a hybrid vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine, an electric machine, and a transmission, where the transmission is downstream of the engine, and where the electric machine is downstream of the transmission. In one example, while the vehicle is being propelled solely via the electric machine, one or more gears of the transmission may be pre-engaged or selected, to prepare the driveline for an engine start event. In this way, driveline torque disturbance and delays in torque requests may be reduced or avoided upon a request for an engine start event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Kevin Ray Ruybal, Jason Meyer, Jeffrey Allen Doering, Matthew John Shelton, Todd McCullough
  • Shield for attachment to a seat base
    Patent number: 10518665
    Abstract: An apparatus is for use in connection with a side of a seat base including a mounting bracket. The apparatus includes a shield adapted for shielding the side of the seat base. The shield includes at least one strengthening rib forming at least a portion of a receiver for receiving at least a portion of the mounting bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Edgardo Fabricio Ortiz Hernandez, Francisco Javier Ferreira Yañez, José Alfredo Peregrina Loera
  • Methods and system for operating a vehicle
    Patent number: 10518780
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing perception of transitions from shifting a transmission from neutral to drive are described. In one example, the transmission is shifted from neutral to drive in response to brake pedal motion before the brake pedal is fully released so that timing of pressurizing clutches and engaging a forward gear is advanced to occur while the brake pedal is still applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ralph Wayne Cunningham, Zhengyu Dai, Yang Xu, Sathish Atluri, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Electric machine rotor
    Patent number: 10523072
    Abstract: An electric machine may include a plurality of sections, each defining a permanent magnet pocket and a field formation chamber. The sections may be stacked to form a rotor such that when walls of the permanent magnet pockets are aligned from end to end, walls of the chambers of at least some of the sections are offset. An adjacent pair of the sections may have different chamber to pocket relative positions to define different pole arc angles. A difference between the first pole arc angle and the second pole arc angle may be equal to a slot pitch of a stator of the electric machine. The slot pitch may be 7.5 mechanical degrees. The chamber may be defined on a radially outward edge of the pocket. The chamber may taper in a radially outward direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Chun Tang, Wei Wu, Joel Hetrick
  • Navigation systems for a vehicle and an auxilliary vehicle
    Patent number: 10522035
    Abstract: A navigation system for a vehicle and an auxiliary vehicle comprises a processing module configured to obtain information on an energy level of a power source in the auxiliary vehicle and determine a remaining traveling range of the auxiliary vehicle based on the energy level; and a navigation module configured to suggest at least one stop for the vehicle between a starting place and a destination based on the remaining traveling range of the auxiliary vehicle and an environment condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Yvonne Zhang, Vincent Zou
  • Regenerative braking of vehicle with primary and secondary drive axles
    Patent number: 10518775
    Abstract: A vehicle includes primary and secondary axles including primary and secondary electric machines, respectively. A vehicle controller is programmed to, responsive to a braking torque request, command regenerative torques, that are a proportion of the braking torque request, to the electric machines such that the proportion commanded to the secondary electric machine decreases responsive to lateral acceleration of the vehicle increasing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jose Velazquez Alcantar, Corwin Stout, Rajit Johri, Joseph Jay Torres
  • Seatbelt assembly
    Patent number: 10518740
    Abstract: A seatbelt assembly and method of operating that includes a tongue assembly having a weblock and a secondary weblock mounted to a tongue selectively securable to a buckle; a webbing extending adjacent to the weblock and secondary weblock between a torso portion and a lap portion; and the weblock and secondary weblock allowing for the webbing to slide between the torso and lap portions when in unlocked positions and pivoting relative to the tongue such that the weblock and secondary weblock prevent the webbing from sliding between lap and torso portions in locked positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Richard Edward Ruthinowski, Kevin M. Pline
  • Vehicle voice recognition including a wearable device
    Patent number: 10522141
    Abstract: A system includes a wearable device including a memory and a processor. The processor receives a verbal input for a vehicle from a user. The processor interprets the verbal input to locate in the memory at least one datum predetermined to be interpretable by the vehicle computer. The processor generates a message corresponding to the verbal input including the at least one datum, and sends the message to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Pramita Mitra, Craig John Simonds, Gary Steven Strumolo, Ali Hassani, Mark A. Cuddihy, David Melcher
  • Pickup truck cargo-restraint system
    Patent number: 10518693
    Abstract: A cargo-restraint system includes a cargo-restraint apparatus and an anchor plate disposed on a sidewall of a pickup-truck box. The cargo-restraint apparatus includes a spool supported for rotation within a housing, and a strap wound on the spool and extendable and retractable relative to the housing. A strap-return mechanism rotationally biases the spool in a return direction of the strap. A ratchet assembly is supported by the housing and is configured to resist rotation of the spool in the return direction when engaged and to permit rotation when disengaged. The housing is configured to connect with the anchor plate to secure the cargo-restraint apparatus to the box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jimmy Moua, Gregory Hagedorn, Johnathan Andrew Line
  • Pollution event detection
    Patent number: 10518607
    Abstract: A sound of a second vehicle engine is detected. Upon predicting a pollution event by comparing the detected sound to a stored sound model, a countermeasure is actuated in a first vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Howard E. Churchwell, II, Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam
  • Variable volume battery assembly
    Patent number: 10522800
    Abstract: A battery assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, an enclosure assembly defining an interior and a variable volume device integrated into a wall of the enclosure assembly and configured to modify a volume of the interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Peter Mongeau, Patrick Daniel Maguire